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DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY Texas Center for the Book Letters About Literature Contest 2004 Level 1 (grades 4-6 winner): Blanca Lopez, KIPP Austin College Prep

Blanca Lopez wrote to Marie McSwigan, author of Snow Treasure.

Dear Marie McSwigan,

My great grandfather is 96-years-old. Really! One day he even climbed on a tree to cut off its dead branches. He knew that he was 96-years-old and that he was very fragile and old, but his courage pushed him on. I had always wished to have that courage that my great grandfather had. When I had to do something that included courage, I quickly gave up. I really needed courage.

Then one day I read your book Snow Treasure. It left me so surprised to find out what those kids passed through. I began thinking to myself - what I have to do that includes courage is no worse than that. Those kids could have been killed! Could I have been killed? No way! I began thinking of how many times I had surrendered because of my lack of courage. Once I even got scared of riding a horse! That was the last time I got to ride a horse. I finally found out that I really needed courage. Each time that I had to do something with courage, the image of the boys and girls saving their country and people came back to me. That made me go on doing things that I had never thought I would have the courage to do. The book really made me ask myself why I was scared. I found no reason to be scared. I made by greatest dream, the dream of having courage come true. From then on, I started having more and more courage each day.

Sincerely,

Blanca Lopez

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